en mi tormento
by blue rain rhapsody
Summary: In which Piper finds ways to distract him while he's working. But really, it's because - he -can't- sleep. "Nightmares only last the night," she promised. "I'll be here to protect you." "That sounds wonderful, actually, I'd like to take a break from this superhero stuff for a while. It's your turn now." Oneshot. (au if you squint) Leo/Piper.


_**title**_: en mi tormento

_**rating**_: T (actual adult themes this is maybe the closest i ever get to any lipersmutlalala)

_**disclaimer**_: i am not a 49 year old man so you can safely assume i am not rick riordan

_**summary**_: In which Piper finds ways to distract him while he's working. But really, it's because - he -_can't_- sleep. "Nightmares only last the night," she promised. "I'll be here to protect you." "That sounds wonderful, actually, I'd like to take a break from this superhero stuff for a while. It's your turn now."

_**a/n**_- '_en mi tormento_' translated from spanish or italian to '_in my torment_'  
wow this is a lot more dirty the more i look at it -_sighs and hides behind desk_- ah well  
kind of what i had in mind if i ever made a leo/iron man au and if you squint very closely in the story you can see the au already coming on  
and i have a dangerous combination of extra time and inspiration which means more fanfics from me mwahaha! enjoy and also notice my pen name change from _universalpowa _to _faded harmony._ okay thanks bye and enjoy.

* * *

**_en mi tormento_**

* * *

She could hear the constant sound of machines and hammers coming from the workshop. As usual, even at the late hour of the night.

The lights in the basement were on, or at least from what she could tell coming from the glow coming from down the stairs on the lower level. Piper walked down silently, almost as if she had become a whispering shadow.

Through the glass separating the downstairs hallway with the stairs, she could clearly see him sitting up on his workshop table, his computer monitors glowing and the stupid- _freaking_- Archimedes sphere all in pieces on the table. Leo had a pair of glasses on to look at each microscopic piece individually before rearranging the sphere.

She opened the glass door and walked over to the table and put her arms around his waist, which surprised him. He jumped in his chair, while she laughed quietly and kissed his neck. "Time for sleep, repair boy."

"Can't," he grunted, twisting half the sphere and spinning it in the air. The sphere levitated all by itself, as if suspended in the air. "Trust me, I've taken about an entire bottle of sleeping pills, I'm just too wired."

Piper hummed disapprovingly. "You haven't slept with me in the last two days, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Leo muttered. "Absolutely nothing."

"Sure about that?" Piper was tired too, but mostly from all the constant flying around the country she'd been doing. She hadn't seen Leo in four months from her last trip to Africa, still in charge of her mission to bring better supplies for all the people there. Then she had to go on tour in another two weeks across Europe- and she was tired. He stubbornly refused to leave with her, trying to keep a low profile until they were both sure the public could handle both of them.

She moved up to his ear and kissed the side. Then she whispered in what she hoped sounded seductive and not creepy - "I could tire you out, if you wanted."

Leo got up from the workbench and walked around the room in a full circle, running his hands through his hair. He glanced at her quickly and groaned. "You wore that on purpose, Jesus Christ. You think I'm ignoring you."

"Mm," Piper agreed. "Maybe because when I got home, the house seemed empty except for you working down here on that gods damned sphere. You need to sleep, Leo."

Leo shook his head furiously, and then twitched. "I've tried sleeping for the last six months and only wind up waking every hour and then staying up the rest of the night."

"It could be the problem that you've had way too many cups of coffee," she brushed off the empty containers of Starbucks off the table. "Didn't we hire someone to clean the house?"

"Hey," Leo pointed around the room. "Nobody's allowed in here."

"Except me," she pointed out, taking long strides before she stopped right in front of him. "Because I care. We're going to bed, whether you like it or not."

"But Pipes-" Leo protested.

"Mm, no." Piper said, finalizing the argument. "Pack up shop, time for bed."

"Ugh, fine," Leo clapped his hands and the workshop lights went dark. The Archimedes sphere flew off the table and reassembled in mid air, before landing in a locked drawer in the wall which slammed shut with finality. "Come on, up the stairs."

Piper laughed and kissed him once before opening the door. At the first step she felt Leo smack her lightly from behind, which caused her to squeak in surprise. He laughed in return and followed her up the stairs.

When they finally got upstairs, the lights had already been turned off except for the lamp by Leo's side of the bed. Piper crawled in and Leo looked around before he huffed. "I see you redecorated the room again."

"Mmm," she said in a sleepy hum. "Go to sleep."

"I sure like a woman who orders me around," he grinned cockily and she threw a pillow at him. "Kidding, kidding, move over. You're hogging the blanket."

"Well I'm freezing," Piper pouted and pulled the covers higher over her shoulders. "You have infinite warmth, light a fire or something."

Leo wrapped his arms over her shoulders and his legs around hers. "Jesus, woman, your feet are freezing."

"Warm them up then, now go to sleep."

Leo turned off the light and settled back into bed. The darkness of the room seemed to swallow the light, and he sat staring at the shadows on the wall for a long time. His eyes refused to close.

Finally, with Piper's even breathing against his chest, he managed to fall asleep.

His nightmares returned as they usually did when he tried to rest. "_You should be dead,_" the goddess purred. "_Even the ones you love are never safe. Piper, isn't it? When I return, I will make her death even more painful than yours. And you will have to watch_."

She opened up her palms and a horrific image of Piper trapped under the earth appeared in the mist, the bright white blank eyes of the goddess boring into his own, making it even more unnerving. Piper looked practically dead, the blood all over her clothes and glassy eyes.

"_No_!" His voice wasn't his own. It sounded too broken, too full of rage, to be his own. Yet Leo knew it was him who screamed.

"_Leo_!" Cold hands shook him awake. Leo felt blood pounding in his ears and pressed his hands to his head. His entire frame shook with sobs, still horrified by what he had seen. Piper wrapped herself into his lap and rubbed his back while he tried to calm down, stop his racing heart beat.

Piper sat between him until his tremors stopped, picking up his face by the chin. Her face was so full of concern it actually hurt to look at her. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked in a quiet whisper.

Leo shook his head and shivered like he had chills run up his back. Piper rested her chin on her shoulder and sighed. "Nightmares?"

He nodded slowly. She sighed again. "Come on, you're gonna sleep right next to me, and I'll keep those nightmares away."

Leo closed his eyes. "You can't. They come no matter where I go."

"Nightmares only last the night," she promised. "I'll be here to protect you."

The corner of Leo's mouth twitched. "That sounds wonderful, actually, I'd like to take a break from this superhero stuff for a while. It's your turn now."

"Make way, Piper McLean is here to save the day," she teased. "Now get some sleep. I'll be next to you the entire night."

"Okay," Leo snuggled into her lap. She laughed silently. "Sleep tight, my little repair boy."

* * *

When Piper opened her eyes and looked around the room. First thing she noticed; the window shades were closed. Second; Leo wasn't sitting next to her.

"Gods dammit, you silly boy," she muttered and stuffed on her slippers and a bathrobe. She nearly tripped down the stairs trying to get on the lower level.

Not to her surprise, the kitchen was empty. A half made pot of coffee sat on the counter with a mug that had her name on it sat on the counter next to it. Not surprisingly, the lights in the basement were already on.

Piper trumped down the stairs, each step feeling heavier. Leo was already sitting on his bench, dressed, and fiddling with the sphere.

She slammed down a stack of papers on the desk behind him, causing him to jump. Slowly he spun the door around and tried for a cautious smile. "Good morning, beauty queen."

"You promised you would stay," she said accusingly, her words more like knives slicing against his throat.

Leo winced and swallowed. "Couldn't sleep."

"I got that," she walked over to his desk and sat down on the table next to his work. "It doesn't explain why you left, however." She focused on his eyes and stared down into the depths, he swore she could see right into his soul.

Leo put up his hands in surrender. "You got me, I'm an insomniac. Tell me something I don't already know."

Piper grabbed his hands and pulled him against the table, wrapping her legs around his torso. "Did I say you could leave?"

Leo pouted. "May I leave?"

She considered it a moment. "No," she decided, laughing at his forlorn expression as she kissed him. His lips burned as if she was trying to kiss burning coal.

Piper felt his hands go up her legs and then across her back. He slowly moved down to her neck, then her shoulder, and they were rudely interrupted by a loud "Hey guys- _HOLY SHIT_!" from the door.

They both dropped and stared at a scandalized Percy. "Woah okay," he backed up to the door. "Try to keep it beneath the sheets next time, okay?"

"Jackson-" Leo hissed under his breath. "We were having a moment."

"I can see," Percy nodded furiously. "I think I saw too much of it. I'll just-" he knocked over a pile of papers and boxes that Leo had not gotten around to unpacking yet, with the new house and all. "I'll just go, yeah, bye!"

He raced up the stairs.

Leo sighed and leaned his head on the top of Piper's shoulder. "I'll assume the Jacksons are here."

Piper frowned. "Of course they are, today's the camp celebration." He sat upright like he had backed into an electric pole. At his surprised face she accused; "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Wouldn't say _forgot_, per se," Leo smiled apologetically. "More like '_accidentally slipped my mind_.'"

"I'm going to get dressed," Piper kissed him and hopped off the table. "You go greet the guests."

"Wonderful, a family reunion," he grumbled and shut down the workshop again before heading upstairs.

Annabeth was already sitting on the couch with a small stack of papers in her arms. Percy was leaning against the wall from the kitchen and waved at Leo when he came upstairs. "Wow, Valdez actually came out of the basement!"

"Shut up," Leo shook Percy's hand and clapped the other on the back. Annabeth stood up and hugged him. "Where's Piper?"

"Went to get dressed," Leo shrugged. "How are things with you guys?"

"Great," Percy said, kissing the top of Annabeth's forehead. "You and Piper?"

He winced, remembering the night before. "We've definitely been better."

"Hey," Annabeth reminded him. "Lighten up. You guys get married in a month, big celebrity celebration, you better smile peachy or I'll stitch a new mouth on."

"Ouch," Leo winced. "I'll try not to smile, then."

"Hey!" Piper rushed down the stairs and tackled her friend. Annabeth patted her back and Percy hugged the two of them together. Leo stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around the room.

"How are things?" Piper asked, her beaming smile lighting up the room like a christmas tree.

"Good," Annabeth and Percy nodded in unison. Then Annabeth's expression turned darker and asked "Can we, um, sit down for a moment?"

"Sure!" Piper said, noticing Annabeth's shift in conversation. "Anything important I should know about."

"You too, Leo," Percy motioned for his friend.

Leo followed the group into the dining room where they seated around the table.

"So," Percy started. "With the whole demigod-laying-low status, you guys have been pretty good, especially since Piper is a big celebrity."

Piper nodded while Leo frowned. Percy continued: "Although, recently the mortals have been peeking into your own private lives-"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo demanded.

Percy put his hands up. "Annabeth?"

"I got news," Annabeth scowled and dropped a magazine on the middle of the table. "Turns out you guys might be safe from the monsters and demigod business, but the gossip monsters have latched onto the Leo/Piper thing going on."

Piper snatched up the paper and her expression turned horrified. "How did they get these pictures?"

"Satellite, probably," Percy shrugged. "You two look like you've been doing some heavily scandalous things though."

"Mystery man," Annabeth read. "Looks like Leo's famous now."

She flipped open the page. "And apparently you're pregnant."

Piper scoffed "That's ridiculous. Media hype is just a whole other world of distinguishing the lies from the bigger lies."

"People are speculating who he is," Annabeth motioned to Leo. "Which is why I'm debating if you two should going to the celebration today. It might be better if the two of you- you know- lay low. The media is bound to find you in the middle of central park during a private celebration."

"Then what do you propose," Leo wrinkled his nose. "We just try and hide behind the front doors of our house? Based on that picture, I doubt staying inside will do any good against the gossip."

"He has a point," Percy mused. Annabeth punched his arm. "Ow! I'm just saying, Valdez makes a good point. There really isn't anywhere to hide."

"Sounds like when we were on the run," Piper grumbled. Leo took her hand and massaged the back of her hands gently.

Annabeth and Percy shrugged almost in sync. "It's up to you guys, you know."

While Leo and the other two debated, Piper flipped through the magazine. On the cover was a photo from a few days ago, maybe, of her against the bed covered in sheets and laughing with Leo on top of her with his winning smile. Across the headline read; _mystery boy? Piper McLean's secret love life under the covers..._

"We're going," Piper interrupted the blooming argument between Leo and Annabeth. At the astonished looks she stood up and ordered "Come on, we're gonna be late."

* * *

He tapped his hands nervously against the picnic table. Piper was in the crowd somewhere, talking to other demigods, receiving congratulations on her and Leo's (private, he thought grumpily) special wedding celebration coming up. And of course a few awestruck demigod fans of her own.

"_Oh my god you're Piper McLean! Blah blah blah blah I'm a huge fan I love you blah blah!_"

(Actually Leo never really paid attention past them mentioning they happened to be a fan, he just tuned out because no matter how big a fan they claimed to be, he knew he'd always be Piper's biggest fan.)

Percy tapped his shoulder. "Dude, you look like you're going to magically wish a hamburger over to the table. Get up and get some food."

"Not hungry," Leo dropped his gaze from Piper and looked at his knotted hands.

Percy leaned in closer. "You doing okay? I mean, ever since the -"

"I'm fine," Leo snapped. "I didn't have any side effects, we already went over this."

"Yeah, but, you look a little too tired-"

"Shut up." Leo clenched his fists. "I'm fine."

Percy frowned. "Someone's in a piss poor mood today."

Leo ignored him. Some younger campers from the other camp or maybe Half Blood camp wandered over to their table with wide eyes.

"You're Percy Jackson!" one of them exclaimed. "Oh my gods, he's Percy Jackson!"

"Percy Jackson!" the smaller of the trio bobbed his head up and down.

"And that's Leo!" the third pointed. "Leo Valdez! Oh my gods!"

"Hey there kiddos," Percy smiled gently. "You guys in camp yet?"

"No no, but mommy and daddy talk about you loads!" the smaller kid bobbed up and down. "They tell stories!"

"Stowies!" the others chorused.

"You all superheroes!" the other said. "Heroes!"

Leo managed to smile. One of them placed a paper on the table. "I dwew you a picture," he said and smiled with two of his front teeth missing. "It's a pwetty picture."

Percy picked it up and inspected it. "Very pretty," he agreed. Then he dug through his pants for a pen to sign it or something, and one of them whispered "He has the pen! Riptide!"

He pulled out a plastic pen and laughed. "No, my sword is back at home. It'll appear when I need it. You wanted this signed?"

"Hewe! Hewe!" the little boy pointed to a corner of his sheet. Percy signed it in a loopy cursive signature with a big P and an even loopier J. He slid the paper over to Leo and tossed him the pen. "You wanna sign?"

"Yeah yeah," Leo glanced at the photo. It was a crude photo of stick figures. Percy and Jason were in the middle holding stick looking swords. The others stood in various circles around them, with what he assumed was supposed to be him on the corner covered in disturbingly accurate lines of fire coming out of his hands. And a black hole around him.

"That's the hole when you got tossed into Tartarus!" the one with the missing teeth exclaimed joyfully. "When you went to get out Pewcy and Annabeth and got stuck! Then they got out and mommy says you have emotional problems-"

Leo gripped the pen tightly. "-And people talk about how you tried to use your powers down dere but it was too dark for even you to see, and my daddy thinks you actually might have died down dere too like Pewcy and Annabeth but daddy's daddy healed them but nobody healed you-"

His name scratched against the paper. _L-E-O V-A-L_-

"-What did you seen down dere, mister? Did you fight the bad monsters?"

His shoulders trembled and his hands flew off the paper. "Woah!" Percy exclaimed when Leo tripped off the bench and started scrambling away from the table, his knees collapsing under him. He was practically crawling, breathing out heavily like he was running for his life. "Hey kids, why don't you go find your parents? Here you just-" he shoved the drawing in their hands with the giant arc of pen Leo created when his hand flew loose. "-just take that, okay? I just need a moment with my friend, okay?"

Leo had already made it to the base of a tall oak tree in the center of the park behind the benches. He rested his hands against the bark and shut his eyes, but even in his mind he could still hear the echoing screams of people that didn't exist. The bark against the tree started to smoke while Leo's hands melted through the wood.

"Leo?" Percy's voice seemed to vibrate in the base of his skull several times before Leo registered it.

"Leo!" a stronger voice called, one he recognized. Piper. She was holding his arms and shaking him, trying to snap him out of it. His eyes glazed over while he stared at nothing in the sky, but also looked into the depths of his nightmares he'd been avoiding for so long.

"He's gonna be okay Piper, it's okay," Percy said reassuringly while Annabeth dialed a limo to get the two of them out.

"Leo," Piper choked. "Listen to me, come on, wake up! Dammit Valdez, snap out of it!"

He blinked his eyes a few times and the violent shaking stopped until he merely trembled weakly. "Piper?" he croaked. "Pipes, is that you?" He put his hand to her cheek and traced her jaw.

"Yes," Piper's voice broke with relief. "Yes, it's me. We're gonna go home now, okay? Straight home."

"That sounds nice," Leo's voice trailed off. His voice shook. "I'm scared Piper. I saw things- things I can't-" then the trembling whisper broke.

Most of the crowd scattered, or were told to step back. Piper lifted his head while Leo looked at the clouds dizzily spinning above him.

Percy picked up Leo and helped him walk out the side of the park where the limo would be waiting. When they passed through the gate, almost instantaneously, mobs of flashes and cameras went off.

"Piper!" Fans and interviewers, paparazzi alike, swarmed around Piper and Leo. "_Who's the guy? Blah blah blah blah!_"

"Get outta my way!" Percy pushed through the crowd while Piper stood frozen. Annabeth hauled Leo through the mob while more people flashed pictures. _Click click click_. Frame after frame.

A media reporter held up a microphone to her. "Piper, do you have a comment on the recent news developments? And is that man over there the same one all fired up in the media, you're new boyfriend?"

Piper swallowed. "My only comment is that you all need to leave me alone. He's hurt, and I'm taking him back to my house. Now get out." She pushed the lady aside and stormed into the limo with the other two and Leo, and the driver sped off down the road.

"You okay?" Annabeth asked. "You're shaking."

Piper was muttering every curse under her breath, still shaking in rage. "Nothing. Get us back to the house."

* * *

_He felt her hands around him before he saw her. "Hey handsome," she kissed his neck and he nearly dropped the tool driver in his hands. "You working on anything special?"_

_He managed to turn his neck so he could kiss her nose. "Mmm, that depends." Then he added slightly after without really thinking; "You smell nice. Like lemons."_

_She laughed. "Annabeth decided to take the stealing game to a new level and stole my shampoo. So I stole hers. I'd rather just take her breakfast."_

_"Mmm breakfast," Leo nuzzled her nose. "Speaking of which, I have not yet had."_

_"Come on, machine head, you need some fuel for the day," she tugged him off the bench and out of the forges. The camp was already starting to wake up with activity for the day, cabins filing into the dining hall for breakfast or last-minute stragglers with combs halfway through their hair and their shirts on backwards._

_Leo was just walking when suddenly a heavy feeling hit him in the chest and he stopped walking. Piper noticed immediately, and asked with a concerned tone; "Leo, what's wrong?"_

_He sank to both knees. Now Piper was really getting worried._

_"Leo," she repeated, more power in her voice. "What-?"_

_"Get away!" he yelled hoarsely. "No! Don't kill me!" He scrambled away from her with a terrified expression._

_"Annabeth!" Piper yelled. "Percy!"_

_All he could see was shadows. And only heard the screams. He could taste the foul scent of iron and blood._

* * *

"Is he awake yet?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Piper ran her hands through his hair while he slept on the couch. "I don't understand."

"If only we could see his dreams," Percy mused from the table. "Maybe figure out why he's having all these sleeping problems."

Piper frowned. "You mean he never told you? At all? You guys never-"

"Never what?" Annabeth demanded when Piper cut herself off.

"Oh." Piper said. "You guys never wondered for even a moment- like why you didn't go insane from being locked in Tartarus?"

Annabeth frowned. "It seemed too fuzzy, Piper. We barely remember any of it, thankfully."

"Then what about Nico- he remembers practically everything, poor guy." Piper continued. "Do you remember _anything _ the day of June 21st, four years ago?"

Both of them frowned, as if thinking about it. "Not specifically, no," Percy answered. "Why?"

She sighed. "He'll kill me if I told you-"

"Pipes," Percy stood up from the table. "What aren't you two telling us?"

She looked down at her hands. "You guys were in really bad shape afterwards," she started. "We tried to get Apollo to help, and he removed most of your experiences from Tartarus, but for some reason they stuck around and were just rebounded into Leo. He never got healed. So now they come back to him at random times- now filled with your experiences and his own- which is why he hasn't been able to sleep recently. And you wonder why he hasn't told you?"

Neither of them said anything. "He doesn't want you to feel guilty, that he's suffering on his own, and that you should feel obliged to take them back or go through that again." She put her hand back on Leo's forehead as if he had a fever. "He's such an idiot."

Percy clenched his fists. Annabeth pursed her lips tightly. "We can't just let him do that," Annabeth said. "Can't we help him?"

Piper took a deep breath and took out something from her pocket. "At the celebration, before we left, I wanted to get a favor from one of the Hypnos kids. I had a request if there was someway- anyway- that I could get to Leo in his dreams. I have enough for the three of us, if you wanted."

They looked at each other for a moment before Percy reached over and took from her hand what looked like a blue pill. "What is this stuff?"

"Something that will get us into Leo's dream," Piper said. "You guys sure you want to come?"

"Hey," Annabeth took hers from Percy. "He did this for us. The least we can do is try to help him."

* * *

"Wow, it's dark," Percy's voice filled the room.

"What the-" From all sides of the darkness they heard Piper scrambling around. "Where did you guys go?"

"Over here!" Annabeth called from a short distance away. "Where are we?"

"Leo's dream," Piper said a matter-of-factly. "Right now he's probably sleeping too deeply to be-"

The scene changed almost instantaneously. Leo was sitting on a balcony, unaware to any of them, along with a different Piper standing next to him.

Piper swallowed and made a squeaking sound. "This is his memory of when he proposed to me," she squeaked.

"How adorable," Percy hummed. "And also not important right now."

His dream moved again; this time to a memory that hadn't happened yet, although it wasn't hard to figure out.

Piper's face in the dream looked liquid, as if he had trouble deciding what she might look like in a white dress. Even without words, Annabeth could feel his tense thoughts and worry about it; probably nerves about the wedding coming up so fast.

"Woah," Percy called out. "He is dreaming I'm wearing a bikini." Annabeth looked and started laughing, as Leo had indeed decided to dream a different idea to lighten his mood. Even subconsciously, Valdez used humor as his own self-defense.

Piper's white dress dissolved, along with the image. This time Leo was sitting alone in a dark room with his fists clenched and breathing in shallowly.

It didn't take much to guess he was thinking about hell, based on his current stance, which worried Annabeth. _How_ long had he been keeping this from them?

Leo faded. Next Piper was up against the wall with Leo kissing her neck, and Percy shielded his eyes away. "Next scene please."

"I would slap you if I had arms!" Piper yelled at him indignantly.

The other Leo and Piper dissolved again like water. Now Leo was sitting again in a scene that was made up in his subconscious. The actual light seemed to be darkening as each memory got more intense, like water trickling through a leak before it broke the dam. Right now it was just trickling, but Annabeth knew it would be a matter of time before the dam broke and they'd see what Leo was actually dreaming about.

He was bowed at a grave that Annabeth had never seen before, shaking and sobbing. He placed his hands over the marble and wiped some of the snow away- _ESPERANZA VALDEZ "Loving daughter._" No mention of being a mother, as if Leo had never existed.

Leo brushed more snow away and his tears burned in the snow. His dream churned again and the marble engraving wiped itself clean and placed a new name; _PIPER MCLEAN_.

"No," he sobbed. "No, stop! _Please_!"

Somewhere in her mind she heard Piper's own broken sob.

Leo's dream warped again and instead the grave read; _LEO VALDEZ_.

"Stop!" Leo yelled, pressing his hands to his head. "Stop it!"

The gravestone fell into the ground, pulling Leo along with it.

He fell and screamed, passing by himself when he was eight years old, watching and falling by where his mother burned in the workshop.

Leo slammed into the ground so suddenly Annabeth did a double-take. He wheezed and rolled himself over onto his back and took several deep breaths.

She looked up. Above him sat the stair-less entrance to the doors of death, where he had jumped and fallen. Memory Piper yelled above him- "Leo!"

"Oh no," she heard Piper say weakly behind her. "Oh no,"

Leo cupped his hands to his mouth. "_Annabeth_!" he yelled. "_Percy_!"

Eerie silence greeted him. Somewhere she heard Piper sighing "Oh Leo..."

His dream sped up, to him helping Percy carry a limping Annabeth to a set of black doors. Monsters swarmed behind them.

"Go!" Leo shoved them. "I'll hold them off!"

"Are you insane?" Percy demanded.

Leo pinched his fingers together and grinned a weary smile. "Only a little. Go!"

Percy hesitated, but ran for the entrance, where Jason and Nico were extending their hands to help them up. He hoisted up Annabeth and the two of them pulled her up. Percy turned around.

"Leo come on-"

Leo was trying to summon his fire, but for the first time in his life, the flames refused to come. With wide eyes he had no control over the tidal wave of prison-sprung monsters coming out of the pit and overwhelmed him. Some of them carried weapons, others didn't, but it didn't really matter when one with a large horn speared him through the chest.

The sound turned muted while Leo looked down in surprise. Percy screamed at him, so terrified and horrified. From her mind Annabeth heard Piper's scream just as loud.

He sunk to the ground and the monsters suddenly vanished like smoke into air. Percy raced over and grabbed his friend, the two of them running towards the doors.

"Hurry!" Jason shouted. "They're closing!"

With a dying friend leaning on him, Percy struggled to the exit. He hopped over, while an invisible barrier kept Leo out. Jason and him tugged on his arms relentlessly, trying to pull him out, but he wouldn't budge.

"It's cursed," Nico shouted at them. "Leave him, we have to go!"

"Leo," Piper sobbed in Annabeth's head. "Oh Leo, no..."

The dream turned to darkness. Then, like the sun appearing over the horizon, the color came back and an extremely loud _snap_! opened Leo's eyes.

He was tied up. Annabeth could sense his confusion and fear in his expressions, and the waves of terror coming out of his mind.

Light flashed in all directions. In the dark he could hear the blood splattering against the stones, and the rumble of the earth below him.

"Oh Christ," Percy said. "This can't be-"

After a few moments Leo gave up and summoned his fire. The bands around his arms and legs melted away.

He stretched and jumped out, sorely rubbing his neck when he noticed the second table with a figure strapped to it. He rushed over and nearly had a heart attack -

"P-Piper?" he asked. "No," he put his hand to her forehead and found it cold. "Nonono, please don't be dead, you can't be dead-"

Abruptly the scene cut off. This time Leo was straggling out of another set of doors and into the light, blinking his eyes wearily. Through double vision he still saw the fire of hell in his mind and the blood and the death and the -

"_Leo_!" A pair of arms tackled him, nearly causing him to faint. "You're alive!" Memory Piper captured him in a hug. "Thank the gods."

He patted her back. "Yes, wonderful." he said weakly. "Do you have anything to eat? I've just crawled out of hell, I am _starving_."

She managed to laugh and sob at the same time. "Come on, let's get you home."

His dream dissolved and Annabeth woke up.

* * *

His entire head hurt, like someone had taken apart every piece of his brain and every part of Leo DNA and examined it, then shoved it all back inside him. He felt sore too, like phantom pains in his legs.

The light fixture above his head was blinding. His eyes hurt to even open, so he kept them closed.

A pair of clammy hands pushed his hair back and whispered in his ear; "Wake up. They're gone."

Leo didn't know if she meant the Jacksons or his nightmares, but he opened his eyes and gazed at her face.

She said; "We need to talk. About your nightmares?"

"Did I ever tell you that you are beautiful?" Leo asked her.

"Leo-"

"Like, wow, you just blew me away with how amazingly spectacular you are-"

"Stop changing the subject!" She snapped. "Whether you care or not and whether you really want to or not, we are talking about this _right now,_ and that option is out of your hands. I know what you dreamt about-?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you do, do you?"

"Yes," she said confidently. "We took a magic pill thingy that let us spy into your dreams."

Leo winced. "You didn't see all of it, did you?"

"Most of it," she put her hand over his and squeezed it. "It terrified me, honestly."

He took her hand and pulled her closer, and whispered into her ear; "It terrifies me too, all the time. I have nightmares about losing you-" then the words choked him so instead he kissed her ear and sat up, picking her up and placing her easily into his lap.

"Leo," Piper reminded insistently. "Nightmare. S-stop changing the subject. We need to talk about this right n-now." He had moved down from her ear to her neck.

She groaned in frustration, causing him to smile against her collarbone. Slowly she wrapped her hands around his neck and he pulled her legs around his waist. "Don't think you're home free," she murmured between each kiss.

He didn't answer her comment until much later on.

* * *

Not for the first time, she woke up next to empty sheets. Piper sighed, tucked on her bathrobe, and walked downstairs.

However, she was very surprised to find him sitting on the balcony overlooking the water and leaning on the railing with a cup of coffee in his hands and staring out at the dawn sun.

She opened up the patio door and slipped out, her bare feet freezing against the chilly stones. "No work today?"

He didn't turn around, the mug still in his hands while he shifted to lean on his elbows. "Nah. Too messed up to think properly."

Piper went to the railing and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it now?"

"I really don't think I will ever want to," Leo corrected, his eyes never leaving the horizon. "But I guess that's not my choice anymore, is it?"

When he finally looked at her, his eyes so full of pain and anguish she actually felt pain in her chest to look at them. Why did the fates torment him, what personal vendetta did they have against _Leo Valdez_ to make him suffer as much as he did?

"I'm trying to keep you safe," he continued. "You only hit the brink of the iceberg in those dreams, Pipes. There are things I can't tell you, things down there you can't even begin to imagine-" he took a deep shuddering breath like he was going into shock. "There are only a few things I never tell you, Pipes, and this is going to have to be one of them. I won't- _I_ _can't_."

She sighed like she was expecting his answer. "Alright," she pecked his cheek. "I can respect that. But if you ever need to talk about it," she slipped back inside and poked her head out. "I'm here."

The glass door slid behind her and she went to get dressed, leaving him to stare at the sun for a little longer.

* * *

The morning's tabloids were no better than usual; apparently in the rush to get out, when she'd grabbed the door of the limo and exposed her left hand, the media had blown up about the sparkling diamond ring on it. _Secret's out,_ Piper thought glumly.

Her only statement had been, yes, she was engaged to someone, and no, she did not care what the media thought.

Apparently there was a mastermind of hackers in the world who were big fans of hers and somehow tracked Leo's picture, finding out his name, which also blew up in the media. _Leo Valdez and Piper McLean_!

Piper stared at the headline of her and Leo smiling as they took a walk down on their 'private owned' beach. "Fantastic," she muttered.

* * *

When Piper woke up she was suddenly afraid; mostly because the sheets next to her were warm. There was someone in her bed.

She shot up and reached for her knife instantly on instinct before relaxing at the familiar mop of messy brown curls smashed halfway into her pillow.

Piper then snuggled back into the sheets and closed her eyes, wrapping herself back around Leo's warm and secure frame. If the one time her fiancé could actually spend the night until the rise of the sun, she wouldn't torment herself and wake him up, she'd just have to enjoy it while the feelings lasted.


End file.
